UCLA
10-3
Vanderbilt
11-4
No. 11 UCLA Drops 6-3 Decision to No. 21 Vanderbilt
March 09, 2018 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Chase Strumpf hit a two-run home run, while Michael Toglia went 3-for-3 as the No. 11 UCLA baseball team dropped the opening game of the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, 6-3, to No. 21 Vanderbilt on Friday night from Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Vanderbilt's Drake Fellows (2-0) earned the win tossing 7.0 innings allowing three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts, while Tyler Brown picked up his first save of the season throwing the final two innings surrendering three hits and one walk but did not allow a run.
Jake Bird (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season going 7.0 innings allowing four unearned runs with four strikeouts.
Trailing 4-0 in the second inning, UCLA would get a run back in the bottom half of the frame as Jake Pries led off with a line-drive double to right-center field and came around to score on a Jack Stronach RBI-single to left field.
The Bruins would make it a one-run game in the fourth inning as Strumpf hit a two-run home run to center field to drive in Toglia, who led off the inning with a walk, to make the score 4-3. It marks Strumpf's third home run of the season.
The Commodores did not record a hit after the third inning but were able to scratch across two runs in the ninth inning to push their lead to three runs. Ethan Paul drew a bases loaded walk to make the score 5-3, followed by Pat DeMarco bouncing into a fielder's choice for the second run of the frame.
Vanderbilt grabbed a 4-0 lead after the second inning starting with JJ Bleday singling in a run to left field in the first. The Commodores would then score three in the next inning highlighted by a two-run home run to center field off the bat of Paul.
UCLA (10-3) scored three runs on nine hits with two errors, while Vanderbilt (11-4) finished with six runs on four hits and no errors.
The Bruins will face No. 7 TCU in the second game of the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT at Jackie Robinson Stadium and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Game Notes: Jake Bird tied a career-high throwing seven innings … the four runs is the most allowed by Bird since April 15, 2017 at Stanford … Michael Toglia now has four games this season collecting three or more hits … Chase Strumpf holds the team lead with four multi-RBI games … Ryan Kreidler recorded his 12th career multi-hit game going 2-for-4 and his fifth double of the season … Jake Pries tallied his fourth double of the season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Drake Fellows (2-0)
L: Bird, Jake (1-1)
S: Tyler Brown (1)
Batting:
2B: JJ Bleday 1
HR: Ethan Paul 1
RBI: Walker Grisanti 1 ; Ethan Paul 3 ; Pat DeMarco 1 ; JJ Bleday 1
SH: Julian Infante 1 ; Alonzo Jones 1
SF: Walker Grisanti 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Walker Grisanti 1 ; Ethan Paul 1 ; Jayson Gonzalez 2 ; Julian Infante 1 ; Alonzo Jones 1
Batting:
2B: Pries, Jake 1 ; Kreidler, Ryan 1
HR: Strumpf, Chase 1
RBI: Strumpf, Chase 2 ; Stronach, Jack 1
SH: Hirabayashi, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Toglia, Michael 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Pries, Jake 1
CS: Stronach, Jack 1
